Sync Windows Files for Free

Using Microsoft SyncToy to backup Windows files

Syncing files in windows is easy, free and can save you lots of headaches. Microsoft has provided a free tool for windows users to synchronize two folders together called SyncToy. You can get the free download from here, http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=15155

Why do I want to synch folders?

The most common use for synching folders is to create a backup of your data.

How does it work?

Once you setup SyncToy you must specify the 2 folders that you want it to synchronize and you can create a folder pair. Once you run the pair, SyncToy will compare the 2 folders and make them the same. If they have the same files it in, it will take the one with the newest date. The advantage of this, over copying all your data, is that it will only copy files that have been modified since the last sync. This means that if you have 500 files, but only changed 6, it will only copy over the 6.

How do I do it?

You will need a place to Sync your files to. It can be a USB Memory Stick, external hard drive or even another computer. For this example I will be using a USB Memory Stick.

• Download and Install SyncToy from the Link posted above
• Plug in your USB Memory Stick
• Browse the contents of your Memory stick and create a new folder. You can do this by Right clicking > New > Folder

• Give the folder a name. I will call mine Backup Data
• Open up SyncToy and click on “Create New Folder Pair”

• You will now have a screen come up asking you to select 2 folders,

• For the Left Folder I am going to select My Documents.
• For the Right folder I am going to choose the folder I just created on my USB Memory stick called Backup Data.

• Hit Next >

You can now select from one of 3 options,

• Synchronize: New and updated files are copied both ways. Renames and deletes on either side are repeated on the other.
• Echo: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames and deletes on the left are repeated on the right.
• Contribute: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames on the left are repeated on the right. No deletions.
• Once you select what options best fits your needs hit next. (For this example I am going to choose Echo)

Now you have to name your folder pair. This is so you can create a bunch of different pairs if you want. Name it so you know what the sync will do. I will call mine, “My Documents Backup”. Press Finish

This will bring you to the main screen. Here you can make additional changes to your job. If you want to change the type of job (Synchronize, Echo or Contribute) you can click on Change Action… under SyncToy Action:

For some more advanced options click on Change Options

This will bring up a new screen.

• Files to include: The default is *. The * is called a wildcard. It means everything. If you want to only include one type of file you can type *.pdf or *.doc meaning it will get <anyfilename>.pdf.
• Files to exclude: It is the same as files to include except these files won’t be used in the pair.
• Check File Contents: It will make SyncToy read what is in the file in addition to Date, Size and time, to determine if the files are the same. This will make it more accurate, but may make it take longer to run.
• Active for run all: If you check this, the pair will be marked as Active on All Folder Pairs screen

• Select subfolder: Here you can select or deselect specific folders for this pair.

Once everything is setup the way you want, hit preview. This will let you know what will happen when you run this pair. It will give you a breakdown of how many files/folders it will create, delete, rename or overwrite. If it looks good to you, hit Run.

Note: The first time you run the pair will take the longer as it has to move everything. Once you run it again at a later date, it will only have to move modified files/folders.

Once it has completed, it will give you an overview of all the things it has done. Hit close to bring you back to the main menu.

Check out more Free Windows Applications

The ability to Sync Files in windows will give you a powerful, free backup solution for work or home. Never lose data again.